In a post to Mets Merized Online, Mitch Petanick explores the possibility of the Mets signing RHP Jair Jurrjens.
“At this point, the Mets should be all over this guy. They should buy low on Jurrjens and see if he can regain the form that once led him to be an All-Star,” Petanick writes.
In 11 games and ten starts for the Braves in 2012, Jurrjens, 26, went 3-4 with a 6.89 ERA, allowing 72 hits, eight home runs, 18 walks and 19 strikeouts in 48 1/3 innings. He was demoted to Triple-A Gwinnett and went 4-6 with a 4.98 ERA in 14 starts, and battled a knee problem which sidelined him during the season.Michael Baron, MetsBlog.com:There is a lot of upside with Jurrjens. Last season was a total loss for him, but he’s still young and is just one year removed from a 13-6 season. He’s a four-pitch pitcher with a fastball which has historically sat in the low 90s and a sinker with heavy movement down and in to righties. He had offset that with a hard change-up and slider, but he has mostly relied on his two primary pitches for success. In the last two years, Jurrjens’ velocity has dipped, and he dealt with a shoulder problem in 2011 which might have contributed to that. He hasn’t made more than 23 starts since 2009, and he’s really struggled to re-establish himself as an up and coming pitching star as a result.
In listening to Sandy Alderson after he traded away R.A. Dickey, it sounded like he’s looking for more certainty than Jurrjens would provide. That’s not to say Jurrjens isn’t an option and can’t or won’t rebound and find his way again, but the Mets might be looking for a safer presence for the back of the rotation. Jurrjens is also represented by Scott Boras, and so he will look to get him a guaranteed Major League deal, something which could be scaring off a lot of teams right now.